Oregon’s Prolific Offense Stalls Against Ohio State
The first College Football Playoff National Championship game was supposed to feature the two best offenses in the country. Oregon ranked first in total offensive yards heading to the game, and Ohio State finished third in this important stat. The two teams scored a total of 101 combined points in their semifinal games. A game reminiscent of a video game would have been amazing for the first true championship game in the history of college football, but Oregon’s offense forgot to make the trip to Dallas. As the very first CFP Championship game, the college football betting lines and odds surrounding the game were very active with football fans all over the nation getting in on college football betting at their favorite online sportsbook.
Ohio State was only a slight underdog heading into the game despite playing with their third-string quarterback Cardale Jones. Their hopes did not look too good when Oregon had a perfect drive to start the game. It would take less then three minutes for Oregon to put up their first touchdown via a 7 yard pass to Keanon Lowe. The Oregon Ducks’ offense was operating like it had all season, but the wheels would quickly fall off.
After the teams traded punts, Ohio State would show off their great offense on their second drive. Ezekiel Elliot would cap off a 97 yard drive with a 33 yard run to tie the game up at 7. Ohio State would quickly get the ball back after forcing another punt, and it would take them less than two minutes to put put another touchdown on the board via a 1 yard pass from Cardale Jones to Nick Vannett.
The Oregon Ducks offense would gain some momentum on their first drive of the second quarter, but they would be stopped on fourth down at the 1 yard line. Oregon is known for taking chances, but the gamble would ultimately cost the Ducks an easy three points. Ohio State looked like they were going to follow up the fourth down stop with a touchdown, but Corey Smith would fumble at the 9 yard line. The Buckeyes would not let the turnover discourage them because they would add another touchdown on their next drive. Oregon ended the first half with a 26 yard field goal to make the score 21-10.
Oregon’s offense would show some life at the beginning of the second half. A 70 yard touchdown pass to Byron Marshall and a short field goal on their first two drives would make it a 21-20 game. While the game was finally close again, the Oregon Ducks’ offense would completely disappear for the rest of the game. Ezekiel Elliot scored his second touchdown of the night on the last play of the 3rd quarter to give the Buckeyes an 28-20 lead.
Ezekiel Elliot would put the nail in the coffin when he added two more rushing touchdowns in the 4th quarter for a final score of 42-20. Elliot would finish with a total of 246 rushing yards and four touchdowns. Oregon is one of the few teams in college football that can win a game when giving up 40 points, but they picked the wrong time to score their least amount of points this season.
